Bucks' Ellis named conference player of week

Detroit - Bucks guard Monta Ellis was named the Eastern Conference player of the week on Monday.

And it was no surprise after he led the Bucks to a 2-1 record, including victories over Brooklyn and Miami.

Ellis nearly helped the Bucks make it a 3-0 week as he scored 30 points and had nine assists on Sunday, but Milwaukee fell to the Detroit Pistons, 96-94.

Ellis' fadeaway shot from the baseline gave the Bucks their first lead on Sunday, with just 1:06 remaining, but Tayshaun Prince had the final four points for Detroit.

The honor is the third of Ellis' career and his first with the Bucks. He won his first two player of the week awards in the Western Conference while playing for the Golden State Warriors.

Ellis averaged 21.3 points, 8.3 assists and 4.0 steals during the week and shot 46.7% on 25 of 54 attempts. He also was 8 of 14 from three-point range after struggling from beyond the arc this season.

Ellis now has five 30-point outings, ranking as the seventh most in the league behind Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, James Harden, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook.

That's elite company and Ellis may be making an all-star push. If the Bucks continue to contend in the Central Division and Eastern Conference, he is likely to be a strong candidate for a reserve berth in the East backcourt.

Ellis had six steals against Brooklyn and five against Miami.

One coach who certainly is impressed with Ellis is Detroit's Lawrence Frank, who compared him to Allen Iverson before Sunday's game.

"Those two are lethal," Frank said, referring to Ellis and Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings.

"Ellis is a challenge for everyone. Ellis is a nightmare matchup. To me, Ellis is the closest thing to Iverson. He has speed, quickness; he's a great finisher for his size."